This invention concerns screens for use as filters in vibratory filtration equipment such as shakers that are used in the oil drilling industry for separating solids from the liquid phase of oil and water based muds retrieved from drilling operations. In particular the invention is concerned with the construction and manufacture of supporting frames over which filtering material such as woven wire cloth is stretched and secured to form the screens and to the re-use of such frames.
Examples of filtering machines in which such screens are used are contained in UK 2237521 and UK 2229771.
One such screen is described in PCT/GB95/00411 (WO95/23655).
The earlier design of screen extends the life of a screen by providing a sacrificial support cloth of woven wire below an upper woven wire cloth of harder wearing material than that of at least the surface of the wire from which the lower cloth is woven, so that wear due to rubbing and vibration during use occurs to a greater extent in the lower cloth than in the upper cloth. The specification also describes an improved design of frame across which woven wire cloths can be tensioned and bonded by adhesive, to form a sifting screen, in which the frame is proposed to be formed from glass reinforced gas blown polypropylene with elongate metal reinforcing elements or rods buried in the GRP. The improved frame construction is shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 of the earlier specification.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of constructing such a frame and an improved frame for use as the support for layers of woven wire cloth, an improved screen formed from such a frame, and a frame which can be re-used under some circumstances.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method of constructing a polymer support frame over which woven wire cloth is to be stretched and secured to form a sifting screen comprises the steps of locating in a mould tool a wire frame assembly comprising two parallel spaced apart arrays of reinforcing wires, closing the tool, injecting liquid polymer so as to wholly encapsulate the wire frame and to form an article having an open central region criss-crossed by intersecting orthogonal ribs bounded on all sides by a rigid flange, in which each of the ribs includes two parallel spaced apart wires of the said wire frame assembly, permitting the polymer to cure, and opening the tool, and removing the moulded article.
By arranging for two parallel spaced apart wires to extend through each of the ribs, one near one edge and the other neaer to the opposite edge of the rigs, each rib has the stiffness of a beam, and the resulting frame has high rigidity and resistance to bending, yet remains relatively lightweight.
Preferably the wire frame is selected so as to impart sufficient structural rigidity to the support frame as to prevent deflection thereof and consequent changes in the tension in the wire cloth when fitted thereto.
Additionally the wire frame is selected so as to impart sufficient strength to the support frame as to allow the latter to withstand shear stresses introduced as the frame is clamped into a vibratory screening machine.
Typically the wire frame is formed from high tensile straightened steel wire, bent as required, and in a preferred arrangement the wire is of 2.5 mm diameter. The invention also provides a method of making a reinforcing wire frame for use in the above method of making a support frame, comprising the steps of:
equally spacing apart cut lengths of wire in a jig to form a first array,
locating thereover a second equally spaced array of cut lengths of wire at right angles to the first array,
resistance welding the wires of the two arrays at all the points of intersection so as to form a first rectilinear matrix
similarly positioning two similar arrays of similarly cut lengths of wire in a jig and resistance welding the points of intersection of the orthogonal wires so as to form a second, similar rectilinear matrix,
bending in a press break the protruding lengths of wire on at least two of the four sides of one of the rectilinear matrices, so as to bend each protruding section first in a generally upward sense and then at a point nearer to its end in a downward sense so that the end region of each protruding length extends parallel to the plane containing the matrix, but is displaced therefrom, and
and thereafter resistance welding the displaced ends of the protruding wires of the said one matrix to the protruding ends of the wires of the other matrix.
The welding may be in part effected through the intermediary of transversely extending filler wires, so that intersections are provided where welds are to be formed between parallel protruding ends of the reinforcing wires, and the filler wires facilitate the resistance welding of the parallel protruding ends.
Preferably the wire frame fabrication is assembled so that each matrix is bowed in an outward sense, opposite to the other.
During moulding it has been found that the pressure within the mould tool can distort the framework so that the outward bowing of the opposite faces of the framework can be replaced by significant inward bendingxe2x80x94so destroying the alignment of the long rods within the upper and lower edges of the interstices of the moulded frame. To avoid this it is proposed that at least one spacer is located within the framework, so that if there is any tendency for the rod arrays to collapse inwards, the spacer will present this collapse occurring.
Preferably a plurality of spacers are located within the wire frame fabrication, each attached to one or other of the matrices so as to extend towards the other, whereby any tendency for the matrices to collapse inwards during moulding, is resisted by the spacers.
In one embodiment each spacer comprises a length of wire bent to form a shallow U with its two ends bent outwards to form two in-line lugs by which it can be welded to the underside of one of the wires which form one of the matrices, with the crest of the U section in close proximity to one of the wires of the other matrix, whereby the spacer will maintain a given dimension between the two matrices if the fabrication is subjected to a collapsing force during moulding, so causing the crest to engage the said wire of the other matrix.
The invention also provides a method of moulding a support frame in a mould tool as aforesaid around a wire frame fabrication as aforesaid wherein an inward force is exerted on opposite faces of the fabrication within the mould tool by fingers protruding inwardly from the inside faces of the tool, to externally engage the opposite matrices of the fabrication when the tooling closes.
In accordance with this method, the fingers sandwich the fabrication in position and produce just the required inward movement of the two oppositely bowed matrices to render them parallel and spaced apart by the desired distance.
Typically the fingers comprise inwardly projecting pegs which align with crossing points of wires in the upper and lower reinforcing matrices, to space the matrices from the corresponding upper and lower internal surfaces of the mould tool and ensure that the matrices are buried within the plastics material which is injected into the mould tool during the manufacturing process.
Preferably the ends of the pegs taper to an edge, or a point.
After the mould tool is opened and the protruding pegs disengage from the struts, openings are left in the polymer. Preferably therefore the method further comprises plugging the openings with plastics material or filler.
Typically the wire frame fabrication is supported within the tooling by means of retractable pins which protrude through the tooling wall to engage the fabrication and accurately locate it within the tooling.
The pins may be retracted as the tooling opens after the moulding step has been completed.
Conveniently the pins align with protruding ends of wires making up the fabrication and are separably joined to the ends of the wires by means of sleeves of plastics material opposite ends of which receive the pins and the reinforcing wire ends respectively.
Preferably the passage through each sleeve is blocked so as to form two coaxial blind bores, and each sleeve becomes embedded in the polymer during moulding and remains in the polymer as the pin which engages it is retracted as the tooling is opened, the blocked passage serving to encapsulate the end of the wire end located in the inner end of the sleeve.
Prior to moulding the tool may be fitted with pegs formed from a plastics material which is compatible with or is the same as the polymer material which is to be injected into the mould to encapsulate the wire frame fabrication, and the pegs become integrally bonded therein during moulding so that when the tool is opened, the pegs separate from the tool, and remain in the frame.
Protruding portions of each peg may be removed by grinding or filing or cutting.
The invention thus provides a support frame of polymer material having wire reinforcing therein and to which woven wirecloth is to be bonded to form a filtering screen, in which the frame is constructed as aforesaid.
The invention also provides a filtering screen comprising a support frame of polymer material with wire reinforcing therein constructed as aforesaid, and having at least one woven wirecloth tensioned thereover and bonded to one surface thereof.
It is generally desirable for the wires of the cloths to be taut and under tension in the finished product and to this end the wirecloths wires are put in tension whilst the plastics material is allowed to cool and set hard, to bond the woven wire cloths to the frame.
This aspect of the invention is of particular advantage in that by using a suitable polymer for the frame material and heating the surfaces in contact with the wire cloths, so the need for an adhesive is obviated as is the step of applying the adhesive.
It is of course necessary to select a plastics material which is suitable to serve as a bonding medium for woven wire cloth and it has been found that polypropylene and polyethylene are suitable plastics materials although the invention is not limited to the use of polypropylene and polyethylene.
Whether polyethylene or polypropylene is used, it has been found advantageous for either material to be gas blown and glass fibre reinforced.
In a preferred arrangement, the wirecloth which is first fitted over the support frame has a coarser mesh than any subsequent layer of wirecloth fitted thereover.
In particular, the invention provides a filtering screen having two layers of woven wirecloth fitted thereover and bonded thereto, in which the lower wirecloth has a coarser mesh than the upper wirecloth and in which the tension in the wires forming the upper wirecloth is less than the tension in the wires forming the lower wirecloth.
According to another aspect of the invention, a wire frame reinforcing fabrication for a support frame as aforesaid, is formed from resistance welded steel wire matrices arranged in two parallel spaced apart planes and themselves welded together along at least two edge regions by welds between protruding ends of the wires of the two matrices.
According to another aspect of the invention, in a method of forming a wire frame reinforcing cage for incorporating in a mould tool for moulding a polymer material therearound to form a support frame for a filter screen, wherein the cage is constructed from two similar rectilinear arrays of resistance welded wires, the method involves bending protruding wires along at least two sides of one of the arrays and welding the ends of the bent portions of the wires of the one array to the protruding ends of the wires in the other array, so as to maintain separation between the two matrices.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of constructing a filter screen comprises the steps of forming a polymer support frame having therein a plurality of similarly sized rectilinear apertures defined by an integral rectilinear matrix of wire reinforced struts of polymer material, in which the upper edge of each strut, and the upper surface of each boundary of the support frame, is ridged, and in which the woven wirecloths are fitted over the ridges, tensioned, and secured in place by heating at least the ridges so as to soften the polymer material therein sufficiently to allow the wirecloths to penetrate the crests thereof and upon cooling to remain embedded therein, so as to maintain tension in the wires of the wirecloths after cooling.
The method may also involve the step of differentially tensioning the wires in one wirecloth relative to those in the other, so that different tensions exist in the wires of the two cloths after bonding to the polymer support frame.
The reinforcing matrix is preferably formed from high tensile steel wire of nominally 2.5 mm diameter, and glass reinforced gas blown polypropylene polymer is injected into the mould tool under pressure and is left to cure for a given period of time, and the moulded support frame then removed, a first woven wirecloth of nominally 30 mesh formed from stainless steel wire of nominally 0.28 mm diameter is fitted over the support frame and tensioned, a second woven wirecloth is fitted over the first wirecloth, the second cloth being formed from wire having a smaller diameter and a finer mesh size than the first cloth, and is likewise tensioned, a force is applied over the face of the support frame carrying the overlaid wirecloths, heat is applied to soften the crests of the ridges and to allow the two cloths to become embedded in the crests of the ridges such that after the heating and force is removed and the frame has cooled, the cloths remain bonded to the crests of the ridges and residual tensions exist in the wires forming the two cloths.
In a support frame which is to have woven wirecloth bonded to the one face thereof by locally heating the frame material and forcing the wirecloth wires into the softened material before it is allowed to cool and harden again, and which is formed from glass reinforced plastics material having embedded therein a reinforcing wire frame constructed as aforesaid, preferably the thickness of the plastics material between the reinforcing wires and the face of the support frame members to which the woven wirecloth is to be bonded is selected so as to be sufficient to enable the wirecloth to be embedded therein without making contact with the reinforcing wires.
Preferably the plastics material comprises a polypropylene or a polyethylene, and may be gas blown and glass fibre reinforced.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, in a support frame which is formed from glass reinforced plastics material, the faces of the peripheral edge regions of the support frame which woven wirecloth is to overlay and to which the cloth is to be bonded by heating, are formed with a plurality of closely spaced apart parallel ridges so that when the surface is heated, the crests of the ridges soften, and woven wirecloth laid thereover and tensioned can, under an appropriate downward loading, penetrate and become embedded in the softened crests.
In a method of constructing a filter screen using a support frame as aforesaid the heat is preferably applied through the woven wirecloth so as to preferentially heat the crests of the ridges as opposed to the remainder of the support frame.
In a support frame as aforesaid, which is generally rectangular, the ridges along each of the four sides run parallel to the length dimension of each side so that the ridges in the surfaces of the four edges of the frame run perpendicular to the direction in which woven wirecloth is tensioned relative to those edges.
Where the frame includes a matrix of wire reinforced struts defining within the boundary of the frame a plurality of openings, sufficient plastics material exists in each of the struts between the internal wire reinforcement therein and the cloth engaging surface thereof, to enable the strands of wire forming the wirecloth also to become embedded in the struts when the frame is heated and an appropriate force is applied, without the wirecloth contacting the internal reinforcing wires, to prevent electolytic action between wirecloth and reinforcing wires where different metals are used.
According to another preferred feature of the invention, in a support frame as aforesaid, constructed from glass fibre reinforced plastics material over which wirecloth is to be stretched and bonded thereto to form a sifting screen and which includes a matrix of struts within a perimeter flange of the frame, the thickness of the cloth engaging ends of the struts is less than that of the more remote regions of the struts.
Preferably the wirecloth engaging edge of each strut is of reduced section, and on heating the wirecloth wires become embedded in the said reduced strut sections.
The reduced strut section is preferably created by forming a ridge along the wire receiving edge thereof.
The invention thus also provides a support frame formed from glass fibre reinforced plastics material over which wirecloth is to be stretched for bonding thereto to form a sifting screen, and which includes an outer peripheral flange surrounding a central region occupied by an integral matrix of interconnecting struts wherein the flange and struts are ridged where they are to engage the wirecloth and the ridges extend to different heights so that the crests lie in different parallel planes.
Preferably the crests of the ridges of the struts defining the integral matrix lie in a first plane, which is below a second plane containing the crests of the ridges on the surrounding flange.
In a method of covering a support frame as aforesaid, heat is preferably applied uniformly over the entire face of the support frame by means of by a flat heated platen which forces the wirecloth into the crests of the ridges and the wirecloth has to be pressed into the crests of the ridges on the surrounding flange before it can enter the crests of the ridges on the struts making up the integral matrix.
In such a support frame, outer ridges on some or all of the surrounding flange may extend to a greater height than inner ridges on the flange, so that the crests of the outer ridges occupy a third plane above the second plane, whereby there is a greater volume of polymer to be melted and spread by the application of heat and pressure to the wirecloth near the outer edges of the peripheral flange, than is the case near the inner regions of the flange.
By forming ridges along the wire cloth engaging edges of the struts, so the area of the woven wire cloth which is actually blinded by being embedded in plastics material is reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve support for the cloths. Thus although the struts may have a lateral width considerably greater than the width of their crests, the area of the woven wire cloth which is available for filtering liquid is only reduced by the narrow width of the melted crests and is not reduced by the total area of the struts, which would be the case if the width of the cloth engaging face of the struts is the same width as the struts themselves.
The struts have so far been described as being ridged and in general they will have a symmetrical cross-section in which the crest is mid-way between two parallel sides of the strut, and the ridge can be thought of as an isosceles triangulation at the upper end of a rectangular cross-section of the remainder of the strut. However this configuration is merely a preferred form, and the triangular cross-section of the upper region of the strut may be offset so that the crest of the ridge is displaced towards one side or the other of the strut when viewed end on and if the triangle is a right angled triangle the crest will be aligned with one side or the other of the rectangular section of the strut, the hypotenuse of the triangle forming a sloping surface between the crest of the ridge and the other edge of the rectangular strut region.
In general the primary purpose of the ridging of the struts is to reduce the width of the plastics material which is to engage the woven wire cloth, and the ridging effect can be obtained simply by reducing the width of the strut just below its face which is to be bonded to the wire cloth. This width reduction may be achieved by means of a step, so as to define a shoulder, (or two steps on opposite sides to form two shoulders), and the reduced width region above the shoulder(s) provides the reduced width plastics face for engaging the woven wire cloth. The difference between such an arrangement and a triangular ridge is that in the former case, the underside of the woven wire cloth immediately to the left or right of a bonded crest will be completely unobstructed at least down to the shoulder(s) whereas in the case of a triangular ridge, a sloping surface will be presented to liquid filtering through the wire cloth. In practice however, the stronger triangular section is preferred particularly since differential softening will occur down the height of the ridge upon the application of heat to the crests.
Preferably the overall shape of the frame is a rectangle, and the flange which extends along the two longer sides is wider than the flange along the two shorter sides, and at least one of the shorter sides is adapted to be joined to the corresponding shorter side of a similar screen support frame, constructed in the same way as the first.
The invention also provides a sifting screen constructed from a support frame as aforesaid, with wirecloth stretched thereon and hermetically bonded thereto.
The invention also lies in two screens constructed as aforesaid when mounted in a supporting framework within a vibratory screening machine, with the shorter edges of the screen support frames joined so that the two screens form a larger area for filtering.
The invention also lies in a vibratory screening machine when fitted with two such screens, wherein one of the screens is mounted so as to be substantially horizontal in use and the other is mounted downstream of the first and is inclined upwardly in the direction of movement of particulate material through the machine.
The invention also lies in a support frame as aforesaid, wherein one of the shorter ends of the frame is adapted to interlock and sealingly engage with a corresponding edge of an adjoining similar support frame such that if the two frames are slid the one towards the other, engagement and sealing occurs merely by the sliding movement of the one frame relative to the other.
The sealing engagement of one frame to the other can be arranged to occur when the two frames are in line, or when the two frames are mutually angled.
It is an advantage to form screens in this way and to mount a number of such screens in a supporting framework within a vibratory screening machine with edges abutting so as to form a larger area for filtering, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, as already indicated, some designs of shaker require a first filtering area to be substantially horizontal and a second area to be inclined upwardly in the direction of particulate movement over the overall screen. This can be achieved by forming the overall screen from two smaller screens, each constructed as aforesaid and adapted to be joined edge to edge where the change in inclination is required to occur.
Secondly, each individual screen can be of such a size and weight as can be readily handled by one man.
Thirdly in the event of damage occurring in one such screen, it can be simply removed and a fresh screen inserted (sometimes without needing to disturb the undamaged screen(s)).
In a support frame as aforesaid, preferably the cross section of each strut is generally rectangular and the longer dimension is generally perpendicular to the plane of the frame, and a first reinforcing wire extends through each strut near the edge thereof which is to be bonded to wirecloth, and a second parallel reinforcing wire extends through each strut near to the opposite edge thereof, and the wires are bonded to the plastics material by the moulding step and form therewith a beam, thereby to impart rigidity to the structure.
Furthermore, in a support frame as aforesaid, preferably the struts intersect similar struts which extend at right angles and a second assembly of parallel reinforcing wires is provided, running perpendicular to the first assembly of wires in planes proximate those containing the first said assembly, so that a pair of parallel spaced apart wires extends through each of the struts.
In such a support frame each reinforcing wire which aligns with the peripheral flange of the frame preferably extends into the flange at each end thereof, thereby to increase the rigidity of the flange.
Preferably the ends of the other wire of each pair are bent so as also to become aligned with the flange of the frame, and the bent ends thereof extend into the said flanges close to the ends of the first mentioned wire to further assist in reinforcing the said flanges.
Typically the wires touch at all points of intersection and are preferably welded at all such points.
Preferably the ends of each pair of wires are welded where they occupy the flange.
In a wireframe assembly for a support frame as aforesaid, cross-point engagement may be introduced between parallel wires in the flange by incorporating intermediate transversely extending filler wire, or weld wire, between the wire ends.
Further reinforcing may be provided in the flange by means of additional reinforcing wires extending parallel to the length direction of the flange so as to overlie or underlie the protruding reinforcing wires entering the flange from the struts, and the additional reinforcing wires are welded to the protruding reinforcing wire ends.
The invention leads to a filter screen comprising a support frame as aforesaid, having wirecloth bonded thereto, wherein the wires of the cloths are taut and under tension in the finished product, and to this end the wirecloths are put in tension at least while the frame material cools and sets hard, to bond the wirecloths to the frame.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of repairing or refurbishing a filter screen constructed as aforesaid, wherein worn or damaged wirecloth is stripped from the surface of the polymer frame, fresh cloth is placed over the frame and tensioned as appropriate and heat is applied so as to soften the surfaces of the frame over which wirecloth is stretched, so that the latter can penetrate the softened plastics material and become embedded therein, after which the assembly is allowed to cool, the tensioning force is removed, and the wirecloth edges are trimmed back to the surrounding flange of the frame.
In a method of repair or refurbishment as aforesaid plastics material may be applied to the surface of the frame which is to receive the wirecloth before the latter is fitted thereover, to provide additional plastics material for bonding the wirecloth to the frame.
The stripped support frame may be inserted in a mould and fresh polymer material injected into the mould so as to reform on the surfaces of the frame ridges similar to those which existed when the frame was first manufactured, before the wirecloth is applied thereto.
The invention thus also provides a repaired or refurbished filter screen wherein worn or damaged wirecloth has been replaced by fresh wirecloth in accordance with the above.
Apparatus for repairing or refurbishing a filter screen from which worn wirecloth has been stripped conveniently comprises a tray into which the stripped frame is inserted, wirecloth stretching means surrounding the tray including attachment means for securing to the edges of a sheet of wirecloth laid over the upper surface of the frame in the tray, tensioning means for exerting tension on the wirecloth in at least two different directions whilst it is so stretched over the frame, means for heating the frame to soften the uppermost edges of the matrix of struts and periphery of the frame, and means for forcing the wirecloth into the softened material such that after cooling, the wirecloth remains bonded to the polymer frame, and can be trimmed back to the edges of the frame.
Apparatus as aforesaid may also comprise further attachment means and tensioning means to enable at least a second sheet of wirecloth to be secured over the first for bonding to the frame, preferably at the same time as the first.
In such apparatus additional means may be provided for applying plastics material along each of the surfaces to which the wirecloth is to be attached prior to or after wirecloth has been stretched over the support frame, so as to increase the amount of plastics material available to bond the wirecloth to the frame.
The invention also provides a method of repair or refurbishment, wherein after removing worn or damaged wirecloth from a support frame a plastics sheet similar in size and pattern of openings to the support frame when viewed in plan is placed over the frame which is to be repaired, in alignment therewith, before or after new wirecloth is stretched thereover and before heat and pressure is applied, to provide additional plastics material to bond the new wirecloth to the frame.
Filtering machines of the type into which screens as aforesaid can be fitted, are described in UK Patent Specifications Nos. 2237521 and 2299771, but these are intended as examples only and the invention is not limited to the use of these screens in such machines.